Portable bleacher



March 7, 1944. A. PlNsON EIAL PORTABLE BLEACHER Filed May 2l, 1941 INVNTOR5 yer TTO R N F Y Patented Mar. 7, 1944 PORTABLE BLEAHER Abraham Pinson, Brooklyn, 'and Charles V. Mayer, Jackson Heights, N. Y.

Application May 21, 1941, serial No. 394,428

2 Claims.

wherein the seat and foot boards are firmly anl chored in mounted position and can readily be removed when desired.

A particular feature of the invention is the provision of a novel and improved connecting and locking arrangement whereby the seat and foot boards are effectively anchored to theirsupports and securely held against accidental displacement, while permitting the seat and foot boards to be readily and conveniently removed from their supports when it is, desired to disassemble the bleacher.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the description of the selected physical embodiment of the invention herein disclosed progresses.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the accompanying drawing which forms an integral part of this disclosure,

Fig. lis a side elevational view of a fragmentary portion vof a portable bleacher constructed in accordance with the present invention, the connecting and locking arrangement between one of the seat boards and its supporting bracket being shown in vertical section;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged bottom plan view of the connecting and locking arrangement between one of the seat boards and its supporting bracket, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view similar to Fig. 3, showing a pair of seat boards mounted in end to end relation on one sup- 'Y porting bracket.

Referring now in detail to the drawing wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, it will be seen that the portable bleacher constructed in accordance with the present invention comprises a plurality of inclined stringers or beams I Varranged in spaced parallelk relation with their rear ends elevated. These stringers may be anchored and supported in any .desired manner as byY means of suitable props of conventional type and design. Each Stringer I0 is provided at spaced intervals along its length with a plurality of upright brackets I I `for supporting the seat boards I2, while other brackets I3 are provided between the brackets I for supporting the foot boards I4. The supporting brackets II and I3 are preferably formed of angle iron stock, as shown, while the seat and footuboards I2 and, I4 are preferably formed of selected wood board. The seat and foot boards I2 and I4` are adapted to span the distance between two or more stringers I0 and are supported respectively in horizontal position by Atwo or more aligned brackets as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawing.

Each seat board supporting bracket I I includes preferably an upright leg I5 having its lower end welded to the Stringer I0, and a horizontally disposed leg I6 extending forward from the upper end of the leg I5 to provide a supporting member for the seat board I2. Each foot board supporting bracket I3 consists preferably of only a horizontally disposed supporting member, as shown, having its forward end welded to the upright leg I5 of one of the brackets II and its rearward end welded to the Stringer I0. It will be apparent that there is thus provided a rigid and substantially integral structure for supporting the seat boards and foot boards. I

In order to secure the seat boards and foot boards in position rand to retain them against accidental displacement -we have `provided a novel and improved connecting and locking arrangement. This connecting and locking construction is substantially identical in form for either the seat boards or foot boards, and it will therefore suffice for the purpose of illustration to describe herein the improved connecting and locking arrangement as it is applied solely to the seat boards.

In pursuance of our invention each of the seaty boards I2 is provided on the under surface .thereof with a. plurality of metal kplates I1 which are suitably secured to the board as 'by the :studs I8. The plates I'I'are arranged at spaced vintervals along the length of the board, the spacing between the plates I1 being such as to correspond to thespaclng betweenthe stringers II).

Each of the plates Ilis formed with a depending desired to remove porting mem-bers I6 and the tongues I9 of theV plates will seat in the slots 20 of the horizontal supporting members.

Notches or slots 26 are formed in the forwardf and rearward edges of each tongue I9, as indiporting member Y pending tongues I9 of lbe seatedV in cated particularly in Fig. l, these notches or Y slots being designed to receive therein and fricticnally engage one of the locking boltsvli'erein y r after described. The purpose of providing` notches 2S in both the forwarduandrearward.

edges of the tongue is, as will become apparentv hereinafter, to assure that one of the notches is presented in a forward. position no matterv whichV edge ofthe seat boardis positioned forwardly, thus facilitating the proper mounting of the l seat board.

The means for anchoring the seat board to its supporting brackets consists of a series of bolts 2|, formed preferably of substantially flat metal stock, each olfl which is slidably mounted within a pair ofA spaced guidefloops 22 which are provided onthe underside of each horizontal supporting member I5 asA by welding. The guide loops 22 are preferably welded to the underside of the supporting-member I6 and thus form a substantially integralpart ofi the supporting bracket II. The front end of the bolt 2|"is prefer-v ably bentfdownwardly to-form a suitabley gripping. member 23 for manual operation of the bolt.

On the underside of the bolt 2'I there is pref" crab-ly provided a suitablev stop lugr24 which isf positioned between the spaced guide loops 22 and serves as an abutment for limiting the forward movement of the bolt. It will thus bej apparent that thedepending gripping member 23 and the stop lug 24 serve'v to retain the bolt in mounted` position within the guide loops 22 and prevent removal of the bolt.

The bolt 2|: is provided withV a longitudinal slot 25 which is adapted to'receive therethrough thei tongue I9`Y of the plate I1. When itis desired to mount the seat boards upon' their supportingl brackets each of the bolts 2I vislretractedY to urllooking positionV bymov'ing the bolt forwardly so Vthat the stop lug llabuts the edge of the forward guide loop 22- Inthis positionof the bolt,` the slot 25 of the bolt will directly underlie and coincide with the slt12 of the horizontal supporting rnemberfll,v androne of thetongues I9 which dependfrom the underside of the seat board,v will vbe permitted to enter into and seat within the Vslots 29 and 25 thereby bringing the seat board to rest uponA the horizontal supporting member I5. v3

After the seat board has been Ibrought to rest uponl the supporting member I6 and the tongue I9 is seated inthe slots 20 and 25, the bolt 2| is moved rearwardly. by pressure against the,

gripping member 23. By this movement the forward portion of the bolt is projected into the slot 26 of thevtongue I9. The bolt 2l is thus interlockedi with the tongue I9 and prevents any upward movement of the seat board. When it is 2I is 'moved forwardly and the seat board Ythe lock bolt is thus withdrawn f Thereupon the seat board may be readily lifted from its supporting brackets and removed.

In Fig. 4 of the drawing there is shown a pair of seat boardsv I2 positioned in end to end substantially abutting relation, with the end portions of the two seat boards resting on one supporting bracket II. This arrangement generally occurs at points intermediate the ends of the bleacher. In such-v instance two plates I1, carried respectivelyby the adjacent end portions' of the two seat boards, will register with the horizontal sup- I6 of the bracket and the dethe two plates Il will both the slot 20 of the horizontal supporting member I6 and in the slot 25 of the lock bolt 2|,the slots 2U and 25 being designed to receive the two tongues I9 together. It will thus be apparent'V that inv this instance the lock bolt 2I will operate to interlock with the two tongues l I9 simultaneously and will thereby serve to anchorl thel two adjacent seat-boardsto Athe supportingbracket.-

Fromthelforegoing description=of the-connect ing andlocking arrangement for anchoring the seat boards and food boards=of the bleacher to their-- supports, it will be apparent that the present invention pres'entsinovel-and improvedmechanism! for detachably securing the seat boards and foot boards in mounted position; and proides eiective means for retainingv the boards against accidental displacement. ThisV novel and improved`v anchoring' arrangement serves also to maintain. the stringers firmly in spaced relation wheny the bleacher is'erected and provides a rigid structure.

In order to prevent meddling with the locking mechanisms when the bleacher is in erectedcon-v dition. and to safeguard the seat boards and footboards against removal by vandals and the like, an aperture 2l may be provided in the hori unlocking of the bolt; Two such padlocks may' preferably be employed for each board, one attached to each bracket` supporting any end of the board.

Although our` invention isv essentially disclosedA in the preferred physical embodiment thereof hereinabove described and" illustrated in the accompanying drawing, we desire it to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specie structure disclosed, and thatI changes in the details of construction are contemplated, which will nevertheless fall within the'spirit and scope' of the invention as deiined in the appended claims.

Having thus described and illustrated our in'- vention; what we claim as new and' desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a bleacher, a supporting bracketincluding a horizontal supporting-` p'ortio'n having a slot formed therein and' provided with means onthe underside thereof for carrying` and guiding! a slide bolt, a manually operable slide bolt mounted within and guided by said guide means and lhaving a slot therein similar to and in vertical alignment with the slot in said horizontal por'- tion of the bracket, anda rest board supported by said horizontal portion of the bracket and having a metal plate secured to the underside thereof including a depending. portion projecting through both said slots, said depending plate portion having a notch in a vertical edge thereof adapted to receive a portion of said slide bolt operatively, whereby to detachably secure the rest board to the supporting bracket.

2. In a bleacher, a supporting bracket including a horizontal supporting portion having a slot formed therein and provided with means on the underside thereof for carrying and guiding a slide bolt, a manually operable slide bolt mounted within and guided by said guide means and having a slot therein similar to and in vertical alignment with the slot in said horizontal portion of the bracket, and a pair of rest boards arranged 

